Improvement in the manufacture of illuminating-gas



' W. P. McCONNELL.

Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.

No. 39,350. Patented July V28,- 1863.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. MCOONNELL, OF 'WASHING'ION, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF lLLUMlNATlNG-GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39.350, dated July 28, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVM. P. M'CCONNELL, of the city of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Making Illuminating-Gas from Petroleum, commonly called Coal-Oil, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact'description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing an upright cylindenstove of the ordinary kind used for heating halls, stores, or offices, marked in the drawing with letter A. At the bend, where the pipe starts from the stove, being the most convenient place, I place a can, for the purpose of holding the petroleum, where it may receive a certain degree of heat, the can marked a. To this can is attached a cock, I), having attached to it an index to show the amount of oil allowed, to pass through. Attached to this cock is a siphon, marked 0. The use of this siphon is to prevent the back action of the gas, and withoutit I know of no other way that I could succeed in driving the gas forward to the (Jistern B is filledwith water for the purpose of cooling the gas and condensing the steam that may be mixed with the gas. 1' is a pipe entering just through the top of box K, thence taking a spiral course upward to near the top of the cistern, thence a straight course down I to near the bottom, where it passes out through the side of the cistern and enters near the bottom of box 0. f, cistern B, isa safety-valve, attached by a pipe to pipe i. g is a funnel entering near the bottom of the cistern for the purpose of supplying it with cold water. his an outlet-pipe for the purpose of letting oft the water when the cistern is full enough. (1 is a box, made of iron. m is a lid fastened on with screws, and made gastight by putting a ring of rubber or leather between the joints. 0 is a space at the bottom, where 1 use a stop-cock, for the purpose of drawing 01f any condensed substance that by accident may reach that place. a is a perforated plate to admit the gas to pass through and to prevent the cotton or other packing that maybe put in at the top from coming too near the bottom. pp is a pipe to admit the gas to pass through onto the burners.

Box 0 is filled with cotton or some other suitable substance from n to near the top of pipe 19, for the purpose of preventing the gas from flickering and to stop any unconsumed substance that may reach that distance.

The way in which I manufacture illuminatin g-gas from petroleum is, I put the petroleum after straining into the can, (letter 01,) after which I make a strong fire in the stove, so as to heat the spiral pipe very hot at the lower part or near the grate. I then let the petroleum through the siphon into pipe d very slowly at the commencement. After it has been made hot in the can a, as it passes down it goes through a destructive distillation, after which it is converted into gas, but has not the necessary illuminating quality until it passes through a greater degree of heat, which I call reheating. 'WhatI mean by reheating is subjecting the gas to a higher degree of heat than is actually necessary for the destructive distillationofthesame.. Thepipebeingofsufficient length and varying in degrees ofheat as it descends, it becomes unnecessary to change from one retort or pipe to another, the same pipe answering every purpose. After the destructive distillation the gas is mixed with smoke, and has not the necessary illuminating quality, but the process of reheating converts the smoke into gas and gives it that beautiful illuminating quality so essential in gas. This high degree ot heat is the only purifier thatis necessary, as all unconsumed particles will ing illuminating-gas from petroleum or coaloil viz subjecting the products of destructive distillation therefrom to a high degree of heat substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

WM. I. MCOONNELL.

Vitnesses EDM. F. BROWN, 1. H. PHILLIPS. 

